I won’t bury the lede: with the passing of Justice Ginsburg, state legislatures are one of the last lines of defense against a comprehensive conservative takeover of our country.

We need your support today to help us continue our work, and ensure that state legislatures have the majorities they need to enact just laws and protect our rights.

Here’s why we have to win the states in November:

There is now a vacancy on the Supreme Court. While we must fight tirelessly to delay a new appointment until the newly elected president is sworn in, we also must prepare for the likelihood that Republicans will stop at nothing to achieve the coveted prize of an ironclad conservative Court.

Under a 6-3 conservative Court, we can expect that extreme laws, like those enacted by Republican state legislatures in the past decade, will be upheld. Once-fringe policies will wend their way through the courts and become dangerous national precedents.

But we can stop them. If we win big in state legislatures, we can ensure these harmful policies are not passed in the first place, and we can enact laws that protect our communities and their constitutional rights.

For example, if the Court strikes down the Affordable Care Act, states can act to ensure their communities have access to health care. If the Court rules that there is no constitutional right to an abortion, states can pass laws ensuring that women in their states have choice. The policies we pass in states will now serve as the strongest barrier against harmful Supreme Court decisions.

You donation today will help us mitigate against the possibility of losing the Court by winning big in the states.

Winning in November is urgent, but it isn’t just about this year. It’s also about laying the groundwork for our future to ensure we make progress on issues such as women’s rights, voting rights, climate change, immigration, and equality, no matter who is appointed to the Court.

As activist Mariame Kaba reminds us, “Hope is a discipline, and it matters most when it’s hardest.” The future is not written yet, and our actions make a difference. Like Justice Ginsburg, we cannot, and will not, give up. It’s time to act.

- Rita